Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Rory McIlroy is targeting a first-ever victory at the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament on Thursday as he returns to action in his final event before this month’s US Open. The Northern Ireland star, who clinched back-to-back Masters victories in April, has never won at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted tournament in Dublin, Ohio — a gap on his CV he is determined to fill. McIlroy’s best finish at Muirfield Village came a decade ago, when he finished tied for fourth in 2016.
After clinching a career Grand Slam with his maiden Masters win last year, McIlroy said on Wednesday that the Memorial, along with Tiger Woods’ annual tournament at Riviera Country Club, are now top of the list of his priorities. “I would say here and Tiger’s event at Riviera, they’re the two that I would love to win,” McIlroy told reporters. “I’ve been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold (Palmer) was alive. So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack’s hand.
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“Jack and I share a nice history. We’ve known each other now for nearly 20 years — or I’ve known him for nearly 20 years. He’s been nothing but great to me and my family. So, yeah, this is certainly one I would love to get done.” McIlroy acknowledges that the challenging set-up at the par-72, 7,569 yards layout does not necessarily favor his game. “For being such a long golf course I feel like it takes driver out of my hand a lot, which I pride myself on that being one of my biggest weapons,” McIlroy said. “The fairways pinch in right around the spots where I would be finishing driver. So it’s frustrated me in a way that I feel like my biggest weapon is in some way neutralized here.”
McIlroy believes success this week will hinge on tweaking his natural game. “It’s just about me being a little more disciplined and not being so aggressive with my strategy,” McIlroy said. The biggest threat to McIlroy’s hopes of a first win in the tournament is likely to come from two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who is chasing a rare hat-trick. World number one Scheffler could become the first player to win the same event three years running since Steve Stricker won the John Deere Classic three times on the spin between 2009 and 2011.
“The last two years don’t mean much when you stand on the first tee, but this is a golf course I’ve had some success at and this will be a cool place to be able to accomplish something like winning the same tournament three years in a row, especially with it being Jack’s Place,” Scheffler said. “I’m looking forward to getting out there this week.” The tournament will also see a return to action for England’s Aaron Rai, who is playing his first event since winning the PGA Championship last month. Rai revealed he was still adjusting to life as a major-winner. “It took a good few days, I think, for me to really get my head around it,” Rai said of his PGA Championship victory. “I don’t think I still have fully.”
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